9 Helpful Tips For A Smooth Transition To The Cloud

The beginning of cooperation with IaaS provider is a serious step for any company in the direction of cost optimization and new opportunities for business growth. At the same time, you should not forget how the use of new tools will affect the already established business processes and the work of the company.

It is difficult to imagine a medium and large business operating without any IT systems. Of course, any business can not do without IT professionals: from the system administrator to the director of technology. Few people think about the fact that information technology is a full-fledged part of the business, which (like any other areas) can be planned and even very well suited for this. With a competent approach, it allows the company to invest time in the root tasks of the business and think about how to develop it from a strategic point of view.

Cloud technologies have taken root in many companies and industries – financial companies, telecom, medicine, trade and industry. Large business addresses them when it is difficult or impossible to deploy IT infrastructure at the expense of its own resources.

Working with IaaS allows employees to do something more interesting and think about how to grow your business and choose the right tools, not just "patch holes" when something breaks in the office.

First of all, the cloud is safe.

Storing data on remote servers is much more reliable than locally, the main thing is to choose the right provider. A well-chosen provider is regular monitoring of equipment with replacement of worn-out elements, constant data replication, creation of backups and snapshots. Cloud infrastructure is an opportunity to recover all information quickly and without losses even in case of force majeure.

The cloud is fast and simple.

Among people you can still find the belief that the implementation of cloud technologies is a great expenditure of time and effort. In reality, the transition to the cloud takes from a few hours to a couple of days (depending on the amount of data transferred). Qualified assistance in building cloud infrastructure, data transfer, software configuration — and all this for a small amount of money available to each client.

In the cloud, your data belongs to you.

It is believed that the provider may block your data to prevent you from switching to another operator. In practice, this is possible only with one-day providers, for whom the company's image is an empty sound. For all other reputation comes first, and all the relationships with the client are made in the form of a contract, where is clearly written who and on what terms has access to information.

Do you remember the wise saying of Benjamin Franklin? After all, if it comes to the transition to the cloud, one of his famous quotations could be used: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". In order to make transition to the cloud and the final result expected, it is necessary to spend a little time on preparation. The following tips can help you with this issue.

Tip 1. Careful choice of service provider

The choice of a service provider should be taken seriously. Analyze the market, compare the available options, read customer reviews, but read them not only on the official website of the provider — use alternative independent platforms where people share their opinions and experience. When choosing a supplier, you should not focus only on the cost, this is a very conditional indicator. And when the search results will be reduced to two or three worthy suppliers, between which you should make a choice, organize preliminary meetings with the most liked companies. It is important to understand what you expect from the provider. During the meeting, discuss ways to implement the project and a possible plan of further action. As a result, focus on the best cloud service provider and start planning your migration.

Tip 2. Making a list of applications

Before you start the migration, make a complete list of the applications you are using, including information about licenses and update schedules. Additionally, ask the employees to update the list. Pay attention to the nuances, possible customization, do not forget about the add-ons, links with applications and other points.

Tip 3. Collection of information

Collect information about rights and permissions, group memberships, object accesses, user mailboxes, including forwarding settings, and other configuration. Provide this information to the service provider so that the provider recreates the identical configuration on the cloud site side. This will make the transition to the cloud as painless as possible.

Tip 4. Application compatibility check

Contact the application providers or check the official documentation to see if the application you are using will work correctly in the cloud. In some cases, it may be necessary to consult with the vendor during the migration.

Tip 5. Availability of a spare Internet channel

Make sure you have a spare Internet channel because you need a secure connection to migrate to the cloud. If the primary channel is not available, you will need an alternative channel. In most cases, cloud providers provide options with alternative channels, and with automatic switching to the backup in case of a failure of the main. You should clarify this issue with the supplier in advance to be as prepared as possible.

Tip 6. The practice of documenting

Document significant changes, including hardware, network scanners, and printers. Connect each item with a specific employee. This list will allow you to configure the infrastructure correctly, conduct testing before the migration and avoid possible problems in the future.

Tip 7. Decide on the exact timing

Determine the date of the migration by selecting a time when the systems are less busy with daily business operations. Also, be guided by the project deadlines.

Tip 8. Conduct training

Plan training sessions for your employees. This will allow them to be in the subject of changes and features of the cloud. Stipulate new regulations to be observed by your colleagues. Create an environment where employees feel as comfortable as possible and answer questions related to using the cloud platform.

Tip 9. Conduct testing

Make sure that employees have tested the required functionality outside the production environment. Testing should be performed a few weeks before the actual migration date so that there is enough time to troubleshoot problems if they occur.

We hope this piece of advice will be useful for you. Follow the first blog about the corporate IaaS for the new content — we will continue to introduce you to the latest topics from the world of cloud technologies.

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The beginning of cooperation with IaaS provider is a serious step for any company in the direction of cost optimization and new opportunities for business growth. At the same time, you should not forget how the use of new tools will affect the already established business processes and the work of the company.